Universal gear case for rotary pumps



April 17, 1951 E. A. WILHELM- UNIVERSAL GEAR CASE FOR ROTARY PUMPS Filed Junk 20, 1947 6 Sheets-Shoot 1 FLETL "'j IIIT l Hill F'LLE.Z

April 17, 1951 E. A. WILHELM" UNIVERSAL GEAR CASE FOR ROTARY PUMPS 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 20, 1947 Fig.3

E. A. WILHELM' 2,549,652

April 17, 1951 UNIVERSAL GEAR CASE FOR ROTARY PUMPS 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 20, 1947 FlE.4-

IJLL A (A) MBA/M E. A. WILHELM' UNIVERSAL GEAR CASE FOR ROTARY PUMPS April 17, 1951 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 20, 1947 FLLELE:

April 17, 1951 E. A. WILHELM' UNIVERSAL GEAR CASE FOR ROTARY PUMPS s Sheets-Sheet 5- Filed June 20, 1947 FlE.E

April 17, 1851 E. A. WiLH ELM- fi UNIVERSAL GEAR CASE FOR ROTARY PUMPS Filed June 20, 1947 s Sheets-Sheet s FlE.7

Patented Apr. 17, 1951 UNIVERSAL GEAR CASE FOR ROTARY PUMPS Edward A. Wilhelm, St. Paul, Minn, assignor to Waterous Company, St. Paul, Minn, a corporation of-Minnesota Application June 20,1947, Serial No. 755,832

The present invention relates to an improvement in a universal gear case for a rotary pump wherein it is desired to provide a gear case which will support a pump drive shaft in selected position.

Rotary pumps are usually provided with a pair of projecting shafts bearing meshing gears which cause rotation of the rotors in unison. One of the rotor shafts projects beyond the other to accommodate a driving gear; This gear is rotated by a pinion supported by a pinion drive shaft mounted on the gear casing. The position of this pinion drive shaft varies depending upon the pump installation, sometimes being positioned '15 sometimes is arranged to rotate in a clockwise direction and'at other times is arranged to rotate in a counter-clockwise direction. As the pump rotors'must always rotatein the same direction, it has been common practice to reverse the relation of the pump rotors to position the driving gear on one rotor shaft when the driving force operated in a clockwise direction andto position the drive gear on the other rotor shaft when the driving force rotated in a counter-clockwise direction. This arrangement also required changes in the gear housing to compensate for variations in the direction of rotation of the driving force.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a universal gear case capable of sup-porting a drive pinion shaft in any of a series of selected positions andto be operable to properly support the driving pinion regardless of the direction of rotation of the driving force. As a result a single gear casing may serve in a great number of different types of installations, thus cutting down the number of pattern and castings necessary to 'servean intended purpose.

-A feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a gear casing which is reversible so as to enclose a drive gear mounted on either of the rotor shafts. Thus if the driving force rotates in a clockwise direction the gear case may be mounted in one position upon the pump, While if the driving force rotates in a counter-clockwise direction, the casing may be reversed in its position upon the pump.

7 -61. Claims. (01. 74-606) A feature of the present invention resides in the'provision of a gear casing havin a series of bosses thereon, any of which may be drilled out to accommodate a pinion drive shaft. Accordingly in order to fit the requirements of a predetermined installation, it is only necessary to know the direction of rotation of the driving force and the desired position of the drive pinion. shaft. By drilling through the proper bosses in the casing, the drive pinion may be supported in proper relation.

A- feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a gear casing which may be in verted if desired without changing the construction thereof. When the casing is arranged in one position, the angularly spaced bosses are properly arranged to support a pinion drive shaft for rotation in a clockwise direction. When in inverted position the bosses are properlyar ranged to support a pinion drive shaft for coun-. tar-clockwise rotation. A'further feature of the present invention re-. sides in the provision of a casing designed to V accommodate a rotor shaft and in the provision that illustrated in Figure 2.

4 fication:

' of a series of bosses arranged in angularly spaced relation about the center of this shaft. The bosses are arranged at equal distance from the center of the shaft so as to accommodate a pinion drive shaft.

These and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims. q In the drawings forming a part of the speci-.

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a portion of a. rotary pump and a gear casing connected thereto Figure 2 is a sectional view through the gear casing and pump. H H j Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view through the casing showing the pinion drive shaft located in a different position from that shown in Figures 1 and 2. I

Figure 4 is a sectional view through the throat of the gear casing, theposition of thesection being indicated by the line 4-4 of Figural; Figure 5 is a front elevational view of the gear casing showing the construction thereof with the. pinion drive shaft in a different position from 1 that shown in Figures 2 and 3.

Figure 6 is a sectional view through a portion of the pump and gear casing showing the drive gear supported upon a different rotor shaft from.

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing the drive pinion shaft supported in a different position relative to the drive gear.

Figure 8 is a sectional view through a detail portion of the casing.

The gear casing A is designed for use in conjunction with a rotary pump B, the particular construction of which is not important in the present invention The pump B is not shown in detail in the drawings, but includes a pump casing It] having interlocking cylinder chambers H accommodating lobed interlocking rotors l2 and I3. The rotor i2 is supported by a rotor shaft M which projects from the ends of the rotor 12. The rotor I3 is similarly supported by a shaft i5 The pump casing I0 is provided with an oval flange 16 at one end of the rotors. A shaft supporting block I! is provided with an oval flange l9 lying adjacent the pump housing flange I6 and the flanges l6 and [9 are held together by bolts or other suitable means. 21 and 22 within the block I? encircle the shafts l4 and 15, respectively and bearings '23 and 2 5 are likewise supported by the block I? for accommodation of the shafts id and l 3.

The shafts i l and I5 project beyond the bearings 23 and 24 to accommodate meshing pinions 26 and 21, respectively. The shaft i5 is provided with a nut 29 engaging the threaded end of the shaft I5 to hold the gear 2? in place Th shaft 14 projects beyond the pinion to accommodate the drive gear 36. The drive gear is held in place by means of a lock nut 3| or any othe suitable means.

The gear casing A is so designed that it may be inverted if desired so that either of the rotors may support the drive gear 30. The arrangement of the casing A when in inverted position is illustrated in Figure 6 and will be later described. The gear casing A includes a pair of castings 32 and 33 which are connected along a horizontal meeting line. A marginal flange 34 is provided upon the section 32 of the housing and a similar peripheral flange 35 is provided upon the casing section 33. The two casing sections are held together by bolts 36 or other suitable means.

The gear casing includes a throat 31 having a peripheral flange 39 thereupon which is of generally oval outline. The flange 39 is designed to engage against a similarly shaped flange 4E! on the casting H. The flanges 39 and 4B are connected together by bolts 4| or other suitable means. The throat 3'! forms an enclosure for the meshing pinions Z6 and 21 mounted upon the shafts M and It.

The castings 32 and 33 are virtually similar in form, one being the reverse of the other. The housing casting 32 is provided with an inne wall 42 connected to the throat, a forward wall 53 forming the outer closure of the casing, and a marginal connecting wall 44 best illustrated in Figures 1 and 3 of the drawings. The casting 32 is not symmetrical as the bosses therein for supporting the drive pinion shaft are arranged at equal radius from the center of the drive gear 30 which is mounted on one of the rotor shafts, and is therefore not at the center of the casing.

As best illustrated in Figures 3, 4, and 5 of the drawings the marginal connecting wall 42 includes an upwardly inclined wall portion 45, a substantially horizontal top portion 46 and an inclined wall portion 41. The walls 52 and 43 are of course similarly sha ed and the particular shape of the wall 44 is arranged to best enclose the drive gear mechanism.

Sealing means The casting 33 is similar in shape to the casting 32 but is the reverse thereof. The casting 33 includes an inner or rear wall 49, an outer or forward wall 53 and a connecting marginal wall 5|. The wall 5i includes a downwardly inclined wall portion 52 in opposed relation to the wall portion 35, a horizontal bottom portion 53 in opposed relation with the wall portion 63 and an inclined wall portion 54 in opposed relation to the wall portion 4'1.

The rear o inner wall 42 is provided with a transversely extending reinforcing brace 55 thereupon in spaced relation to the horizontal wall 43, this brace serving .to reinforce the top of the gear casing and to provide a gear casing support when the pump is in inverted position. A pair of reinforcing ribs 55 extend from the throat 31 to the transverse rib 35 to assist in reinforcing the rear or inner wall 52. A similar reinforcing rib 5? is provided on the casting 33 at a point spaced above the bottom wall 53 of this casting. This rib 5'! may serve as a support for the casing and is drilled at 58 to accommodate suitable anchor bolts. Reinforced ribs 60 extend from the rib 5? to the throat 31 to reinforce the rear or inner wall ii of the casting 33.

A pair of substantially cylindrical hollow bosses i5! and 32 project rearwardly from the rear wall of the housing A on opposite sides of the center of one of the shafts i l and I5 and equally spaced therefrom. In the position illustrated in Figures 1 through 5 of the drawings the bosses 5i and 32' are positioned with their axes equally spaced from the axis of the shaft id. A second pair of hollow cylindrical bosses 63 and 64 are likewise provided on the rear wall of the gear housing A above and below the level of the shafts l4 and. i5. The axes of the bosses I63 and 34 are arranged on a vertical line positioned mid-way between the chambers I l and i5 as illustrated. Furthermore the axes of the bosses 63 and 34 are equi-distant from the axes of the shaft [4.

.It should be noted that the bosses 6| and 62 are positioned on the meetingsline of the casting- 32 and 33 and thus one-half of each bossis provided in each casting. However, when the castings are connected together a complete hollow cylindrical boss is provided on each side of the driving gear.

The front wall of the gear housing A is arranged as best illustrated in Figures 1 and 5 of the drawings. A central hollow cylindrical boss 65 is provided in the forward walls 43 and 50 of the housing A, one-half of the boss being located ineach casting. A cover plate 66 closes the forward end of the boss 65 and is secured thereto by cap screws 6?. A pair of hollow cylindrical bosses 59 and Hi project forwardly from the casing walls 43 and one-half of each boss being formed in each of the castings 32 and 33. The boss 69 is in alignment with the boss 82 on the rear wall of the gear housing, while the boss H! is in alignment with the boss 6| of the rear wall. Bolts H extend through the edges of the boss 65 on either side thereof to hold the casing sections 32 and 33 together at this point. Similar bolts 72 are provided adjacent the boss 63 and bolts 13 are provided adjacent the boss 10. The bolts H, 12 and F3 connect the forward walls 43 and 5B of the casing sections 32 and 33 together.

A hollow cylindrical boss 14 is provided on the front casing wall 43 in opposed relation to the boss 83 on the rear wall thereof. A similar hollow cylindrical boss 15 is provided on the front casing wall 50 in opposed relation to the boss 64.

Thus all of the bosses on .the, rear wall are provided with an opposed boss formed in the forward wall of the gear housing so that any of the bosses may serve to support a pinion drive shaft in a manner which will be later described. In the particular construction illustrated in Figure 5 of the drawings the boss I4 has been drilled out and fitted with a cover plate I6 which encloses suitable bearings for supporting the pinion drive shaft 11. In Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings this same pinion drive shaft I1 is shown supported in the boss I0. The particular position of the pinion drive shaft TI is dependent upon the desired installation and this shaft can be supported in any of the pairs of opposed bosses.

; Thus it willbe seen from an examination of Figures 3 and 5 of the drawings that the pinion drive shaft 11 may be supported by the opposedv 7 'the pinion drive shaft 11 is supported by a suitable bearing 80 positioned within one of the bosses in the rear or inner wall of the gear casing andalso by a bearing 8I supported in a suitable bushing 82 in the opposed boss in the front or forward wall of the gear casing. The bushing 82 is preferably provided with a peripheral flange 83 which is secured to the boss by cap screws 84 or other suitable means. A spacing sleeve 85 is interposed between the pinion I9 and the inner race of the bearing 8| while a lock nut 88 is provided on the shaft 11 externally of the inner race of the bearing 8|. Thus the bearing 8| is held from longitudinal movement relative to the bearing. Suitable packing 81 may be provided about the shaft 1! which packing is held in place by a clamping plate 89 attached to the bushing 82 by cap screws 90 or other suitable means.

In adapting the gear casing A to suit any particular drive arrangement it is only necessary to drill out the forward end of the bossthrough which the pinion drive shaft TI is to extend. In the construction shown in Figure 5 the forward end of the boss I4 has been drilled. out to accommodate the bushing 92. In the similar arrangement shown in Figure 2 of the drawings the forward end of the boss I has been drilled out to accommodate the shaft 11. In the arrangement shown in Figure 3 of the drawings the shaft 11 is shown extending through the boss I5. Thus the samecastin s may be employed regardless of the position of the pinion drive shaft. Y

In the modified form of construction illustrated in F gure 8, I disclose a similar construction in which the forward end of each of the bo ses 69, I0, I4 and I is drilled out to accommodate the pinion drive shaft. In this construction three of the bosses are closed by means of cover plates 9| which are held in place by cap screws 92 or other suitable means. In order to change the position of the pinion drive shaft it is only necessary to remove the bushing 82 supporting this shaft together with the bearings 80 and 8! and in putting this bushing in any selected boss in place of the cover plate 9!. The boss previously supporting thepinion drive shaft is then covered by a coverplate 9| to enclose the gear casing; Thus it will be seen that with the construction shown in Figure 8 the pinion drive shaft may be supported in any selected position without changing the casing construction. It will be understood, however, that the position of the pinion drive shaft 11 may be changed in any installation by merely drilling out the supporting boss at the desired point and inserting the bushing 82 therein together with the shaft 11 and its bearings. The opening in the casing caused by the removal of the bushing 82 from its original position may be closed by a cover plate such as 9 I.

In the foregoing description the gear casing has been described in its position on the pump casting II when the rotor shaft I4 acts to support the drive gear 30. In Figures 6. and 7 of thedrawings I disclose the arrangement of the parts when the rotors are reversed so that the elongated shaft projects through the casing throat 3'! in a different position. In this arrangement the rotors I2 and I3 are actually reversed in position. For the purpose of illustration the shaft I4 is the short shaft, while the shaft I5 is the longer shaft and acts to support the driving gear 30.

In order to compensate for the difference in position of the drive gear 30 the gear casing A is inverted in its entirety. When thus inverted the flange 39 is connected to the flange 40 in inverted position, the flanges being symmetrical to permit such attachment. The various pairs of bosses are accordingly reversed in their relation to the drive gear 30, the bosses 62 and I0 being positioned to the left of the drive gear 30 as viewed from the front of the casing and the bosses SI and 69 being located to the right of the drive gear 30 as viewed from the front of the casing. Also in this arrangement the bosses 63 and I4 are in inverted position and are arranged near the bottom of the gear casing, while the bosses 64 and I5 are positioned near the top thereof.

As best illustrated in Figure 5 of the drawings a pair of bosses 93 and 94 are arranged in the casing portions 32 and 33 respectively. The boss 93 is drilled to receive elbow 94 connecting the top of the gear casing to the breather cap 96. If desired the boss 94 can be similarly drilled and closed by means of a suitable closure plug. A pair of bosses 91 and 99 project from the for ward wall of the gear casing A, the lower boss 99 being drilled to accommodate the elbow I00 leading to the filling pipe IOI closed at its upper end by a cap I02.

The gear casing may be filled to the proper level with lubricant through the pipe IOI when the cap I02 is removed. The boss 91 may be similarly drilled if desired and normally closed by a plug. When the gear casing is inverted as illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 of the drawings, the boss 94 will support the breather cap 96 while the boss 9'! will suprortthe filling pipe IOI.

The peripheral wall of the casing sections is thickened at predetermined positions to provide inspection openings adjacent the drive pinion. The casing section 32 is provided with a pair of outwardly projecting bosses I03 and I04 adjacent the pairs of transversely aligned bosses designed to support the pinion drive shaft. In the construction shown in Figure 5 of the drawings, the boss I04 is drilled out and closed by means of a closure plate I05 fastened in place by suitable cap screws or the like. Inspection opening bosses I 09 and I0! are provided near the transversely aligned pinion drive shaft supporting bosses in the casing section 33. These bosses may be either drilled out to provide an opening at the desired place, or all of the inspection openings may be drilled out and closed by cover plates similar to the plate I05. It will be seen that my gear casing is designed to support the drive shaft in any desired location and to properly enclose the gears regardless of the direction of rotation of the drive means. As a result a single casin may be finished to suit each particular installation in which the pump is located.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principles of construction and operation of my universal gear case for a centrifugal pump, and while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire 'to have it understood that obvious changes may be made Within the scope of the following claims Without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A universal gear casing for use in conjunction with a rotary pump having a pair of interchangeable rctors, shafts thereupon, and meshing gears on said shafts, one of said shafts projecting beyond the other, the gear casing including a pair of substantially parallel walls and a peripheral connecting wall, a sleeve projecting from one parallel wall of the casing and designed to encircle said meshing gears, said sleeve having parallel spaced walls and rounded ends, one of the rounded ends of the sleeve being concentric with the center of the casing and concentric with one of said shafts, the other rounded end of the sleeve being concentric with the other of the shafts, a flange on the sleeve designed to extend against the casing of the pump, fastening mean for connecting said flange to the pump, said fastening means being spaced so that either end of sleeve can be concentric with either of said shafts, said casing being formed in two parts connected along a line of separation extending longitudinally through said sleeve, a pair of shaft supports in said casing spaced an equal distance from the center of both of said shafts, a second pair of bearing supports spaced equi-distant from the center of one of the shafts and arranged with their axes on the same horizontal plane as said shafts, a shaft supported in one of said bearing supports, a gear on the projecting shaft, and a pinion on the shaft supported by said bearing supports and in mesh with said last named gear.

2. The construction described in claim 1 in which the shaft supported by said bearing supports extends through one of the parallel walls of the casing.

3. The construction described in claim 1 in which the projecting shaft is off-set from the center of the casing and the bearing supports supporting the pinion shaft are one of the first mentioned pair of bearing supports.

4. The construction described in claim 1 and including inspection doors in the peripheral Wall of the casing connecting the parallel Walls.

EDWARD A. WILHELM.

REFERENCES CITED The fo lowing references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,401,260 Iversen Dec. 27, 1921 1,599,729 Taylor Sept. 14, 1926 2,028,414 Schneider Jan. 21, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 765,301 France June 4, 1931 

